Alert List

The Alert List is a list of entities which have come to the attention of the SFC because they are unlicensed in Hong Kong and are believed to be, or to have been, targeting Hong Kong investors or claim to have an association with Hong Kong. You can either search by name or by type to check whether an entity is already on the list. This is not a comprehensive list and new names are coming to our attention all the time. We will add to the list as we hear of new names. If you have been contacted by an unlicensed firm, it would be of assistance to the SFC if you would provide information on your dealings with that firm by completing our on-line reporting form.

Note: The information contained on the Alert List is provided as an early warning service to investors but is not a substitute for investors conducting their own due diligence by checking up on a particular entity.

Please view the list by selecting the first alphabet that starts off the name of each entry or the sub-group labelled “Chinese” for entities bearing only Chinese names:

Name search

Company name

Search Tips:
This is a keyword search based on exact phrases. To facilitate searching, please only enter the keywords "AAA" in the search field when searching for "AAA Co", "AAA Company", "AAA Ltd", "AAA Limited" or "AAA Inc".

Type search

Unlicensed Entities

Sometimes entities appear to target Hong Kong investors whilst not having been licensed to carry out regulated activities in Hong Kong. They often adopt names similar to legitimate financial institutions to confuse investors. Alternatively, such unlicensed entities may provide financial investment trading platforms on the Internet. If you deal with a company which is not licensed by the SFC, you may not be protected by the regulatory framework enforced by the SFC.

Suspicious Websites

Dubious websites may offer too-good-to-be-true investment opportunities (e.g. pre-IPO stocks of fabricated companies sold at huge discounts, or funds with guaranteed multiple returns) that do not actually exist. Alternatively, such websites may be fraudulent copycat websites imitating the websites of reputable financial institutions to lure investors to part with their money and/or disclose personal information that the fraudsters may later use to swindle investors.

Do not respond to investment website offers unless you are sure of the legitimacy of the entity.

Phishes

Phishes usually imitate legitimate financial institutions to despatch emails to entice recipients to disclose their credit card / bank account numbers and passwords / Personal Identification Numbers (PINs). If you provide this information, you may find your account is drained of money.

Most legitimate banks will never email you asking for your details or PIN. If in doubt, contact your bank directly.

Fake regulators and/or market operators

Creating a fake regulator and/or market operator website is one of the tricks used to deceive unwary investors into thinking that certain unauthorised financial institutions or intermediaries listed on that website are supervised by a real regulator and that they conduct their trades through a recognised market operator (e.g. stock exchanges). The scamsters create a website for a non-existent financial regulator or market operator with a plausible name. Such a website is usually sophisticated and often contains up-to-date financial news to create a false impression of authenticity. In fact, no such financial regulator or market operator exists under that name.